1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of virtual reality, and more particularly, to the accurate rendering of a three-dimensional model of a person wearing clothing and illustrating the fit and movement of the clothing.
2. Background of the Technology
Purchasers and potential purchasers of clothing items are able to conveniently preview clothing items displayed in a catalog, in retail stores, and in on-line catalogs. One of the frustrations of purchasers, however, is that clothing items when purchased and actually worn do not meet the expectations developed by the catalog or in the dressing room.
Models in catalogs tend to be taller and thinner than most purchasers, thus developing high expectations for the garment appearance. A garment worn by a person not having model-type proportions might look quite different and might not be flattering. Moreover, a garment that is photographed or tried on under studio or dressing room lights may have quite a different coloring and reflectivity in other settings, such as day light, candle light, office lighting, and so forth. A person's coloring also affects whether a particular garment is appropriate.
Furthermore, the manner of photographing a garment, typically in a front pose, does not demonstrate back and side fit, and the flow of the garment in various activities. Fitting rooms attempt to solve the problem of front, back and side views by using multiple mirrors. Even so, observing the back view of one's self in a fitting room can be awkward. Fitting rooms obviously do not permit much testing of a garment in an active activity situation, or observance of a garment from a distance. It is desirable, nevertheless, for a potential purchaser to observe the reaction of the garment to activities such as walking, running, sitting, and so on.
Clothing purchased for a different person, such as a gift, cannot be tried on before purchase. There is no practical way to preliminarily ascertain whether a particular garment will be flattering when worn and when in action.
3. Related Art
Various methods and systems for illustrating the look of a garment on a particular person have been attempted. U.S. Pat. No. 5,850,222 to Cone, has attempted a “virtual dressing room”, in which a person's measurements are used to create a body data structure that represents the person's figure, by adjusting a standard body data structure. Unfortunately, a garment is represented by a two-dimensional image of the garment worn by a physical mannequin; the garment is inaccurately “stretched” to approximate the adjusted body structure, rather than representing the actual garment.
An on-line clothing catalog by Land's End, available at www.landsend.com, provides a two-dimensional, static representation of a personalized model wearing clothing specified by the user. The static, two-dimensional nature of the model neither permits various viewpoints of the model during activity nor observation of the garment's reaction to the environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,557,527 to Kotaki et al., concerns the mesh mapping of a simulated knit garment (loop simulation image) on a virtual mannequin, for use in conjunction with designing knit garments. The loop simulation image is dragged and distorted to fit over a scanned-in model of a person. Thus, although Kotaki starts with an accurate representation of a garment, the drawbacks of Cone are magnified in Kotaki. Additionally, Kotaki does not address the accurate representation of a person.
Other methods have attempted to compare garment measurements to standardized or personalized sizes. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,652 to Croyle et al. a person and clothing are separately measured by a machine vision system. The data can be used to determine whether the garments are within tolerances, or to determine the best size of a particular piece of clothing for a person.
In a different field of application, computers have been used to study fabric characteristics, such as friction and wear. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,568 to Beavin, a three dimensional model moves, such as raising the arms, bending, walking or running, and the response of a fabric model to motion, stretching and friction is evaluated. Computers have also been used to create and alter garment patterns to fit standard or individualized body measurements, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,344 to Collins et al.
It is generally known in the field of computer graphics to manipulate three-dimensional objects, including shape and texture (U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,420 to Mitsumine et al.); to render three-dimensional objects in two-dimensional space (U.S. Pat. No. 5,745,666 to Gilley et al.) and vice-versa (U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,476 to Kurashige et al.); to manipulate two-dimensional objects in three-dimensional space (U.S. Pat. No. 5,729,673 to Cooper et al.); and to move or animate three-dimensional objects (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,665 to Sugiura et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,175 to Naka et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,630 to Unuma et al.).
Thus, there remains a need for a straightforward way for someone to view on a computer screen how a particular garment will look and flow on a particular person and/or in a particular setting. Further, there remains a need for accuracy in rendering such modeled garments.